to make (a living) or support (existence) laboriously: They managed to eke out a living by farming a small piece of land.
b.
to supplement; add to; stretch: to eke out an income with odd jobs.
Origin: bef. 1000; ME eken, OE ēac(i)an (intrans.), deriv. of ēaca (n.) increase; ME echen, OE ēcan, var. of īecan (transit.) < WGmc *aukjan; both akin to ON auka, Goth aukan, L augēre, Gk auxánein to increase, amplify